


Buddy

by xcourtney_chaoticx



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Beginnings, Best Friends, Friendship, Gen, Poe loves his little droid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5765188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xcourtney_chaoticx/pseuds/xcourtney_chaoticx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Poe Dameron first laid eyes on the little BB unit, it was obviously damaged, rolling unsteadily, its antenna bent, its paint chipped and faded. It was hardly the best looking astromech unit the Fleet had to offer.</p>
<p>Poe wanted it for his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this Tumblr post](http://dying-stormtrooper-noises.tumblr.com/post/137636158435/hungrylikethewolfie-goddammitstacey)
> 
> Phonetics of droid designations are based on the novelization.

Poe Dameron was ten when his father took him into the large outpost on Yavin 4 to obtain an astromech droid. Their old R2 unit had finally given out, and Poe had been devastated. That R2 unit had belonged to his late mother, Rebel ace Shara Bey, and for Poe, it had been one of the last remaining links to her. His father finally convinced him to go, telling him, “Artoo-Arfive was your mother’s droid. We both know Arfive was devoted to her, and he was never the same after she died. It’s your turn to be a pilot now, and a pilot needs a droid to call their own. We’ve said good-bye. Now, we move on.”

He selected a solid R7 unit called R7-D9, and together, they learned how to fly all sorts of craft, expertly shifting around different piloting systems. The droid took the time to teach Poe binary, carefully repeating her beeps and whistles until Poe could repeat them back and no longer needed the readout from the ship computer. Still, as much as Poe cared for R7-D9, he felt a strange sense of wanting. His mother had told tales of pilots and droids being perfect companions, of loyalty so deep the two would die for each other, and he wasn’t sure he had that with R7-D9.

When he left to join the New Republic Starfleet at eighteen, he left R7-D9 on Yavin 4 with his father. As a new recruit, he wasn’t allowed to bring his own astromech droid. He was to be assigned one after his initial training in the Fleet, would select from the droids they had onsite. Other recruits milled about with the Fleet droids, but none really stood out to Poe among the nearly identical R2s and R4s and R7s and BBs. Poe sighed. Now, he wasn’t cocky or showy or full of himself, but he just couldn’t see himself working with any of these simple droids. That’s when he saw it… part of it, anyway. He left the noisy hangar bay to follow the little droid he’d caught a glimpse of, sure to follow quietly and carefully, not wanting to startle the BB unit.

It was a rather ragged looking unit, its paint all chipped and fading, the blue and silver coloring barely recognizable, its antenna bent, unable to roll completely straight. The BB unit finally noticed his presence and tried to hide behind a stack of crates.

“Hey… Hey, it’s alright, little buddy,” Poe told it softly, crouching to be on its level, “I’m not gonna hurt you. What’s your name?”

[Name?], it beeped.

“Your unit designation.”

[This unit is designated BB-8.]

“Hello, Beebee-Ate. My name, er-, designation is Poe Dameron.”

[Does Master Dameron require a task of BB-8?]

“Maybe, I-“

“Dameron!”

Poe stood and turned to see his chief instructor striding over, instinctively stepped in front of the droid as if to protect it.

“Captain Sorel,” he said, giving a quick salute, “What’s the problem, sir?”

“Why are you out here, Dameron? You’re supposed to be in the hangar selecting a droid.”

“I’ve been doing as ordered, sir.”

“Then why are you not in the hangar?”

“I found a droid.”

Captain Sorel peered behind him at BB-8, groaned, told him, “Please, Dameron, any astromech but that one. Beebee-Ate is off-limits. The droid is no good.”

BB-8 made a sad noise behind Poe.

“Off-limits? No good?”

“Beebee-Ate’s performance is not satisfactory. Actually, there are some who say he’s cursed. Somehow survived the loss of two of his pilots. Not willing to risk that again. Beebee-Ate has been banned from active duty,” Captain Sorel said firmly.

There was another series of noises from BB-8, saying, [Not BB-8’s fault… Not BB-8’s fault…], and something burned in Poe’s chest. He stood up straighter, puffed out his chest a little, told Sorel, “I want Beebee-Ate, sir.”

“Dameron, I just told you-“

“I know what I was told. I’m telling you, I want Beebee-Ate.”

Poe’s voice was as firm as his resolve. Whatever had happened to BB-8 was horrible, and he did not deserve neglect and misuse. Sorel shook his head.

“You’re going to regret this, Dameron. You may be Lieutenant Bey’s son, but you aren’t her.”

Heat flared in Poe’s cheeks, anger roiling in his gut, but he held his tongue, stood his ground. Contrary to what Sorel said, Poe was very much like his mother: loyal, brave, and incredibly stubborn. He was going to get his way in the end if he really wanted something, and he wanted BB-8. He still had to convince other officers if BB-8 was slated for decommission, but he knew he could do it.  
BB-8 rolled unsteadily beside him back to his quarters, chirping happily.

[Master Poe will like BB-8! BB-8 will do a good job for Master Poe!]

“I’m sure you will, Beebee-Ate,” Poe chuckled, “Y’know, you don’t have to call me ‘master’.”

[BB-8 does. It is hard-wired into BB-8’s programming, Master Poe.]

“Oh yeah? Huh, well, I think I can fix that, buddy.”

[Buddy? What is ‘buddy’?]

“It means ‘friend’. We’re gonna be friends, Beebee-Ate. I know it. Sorel doesn’t know anything.”

[Master Sorel was correct. BB-8 lost Master Kyrie and Master Jeb in battle. BB-8 was very sad. It was not BB-8’s fault.]

“I know, buddy. I understand.”

BB-8 turned out to be a perfect fit for Poe. They both had lost people they cared about in the blink of an eye, both had suffered from it. Both felt too much was expected of them: Poe because of his mother, BB-8 because he was seen as cursed. Thankfully, both managed to exceed expectations. Poe and BB-8 worked as a perfect team. They just clicked almost right away, and if something did happen to go wrong, Poe was sure to discuss it with BB-8 in the same way he would with an organic comrade. He also rewrote BB-8s programming with ease so he wouldn’t call him ‘master.’

“Hey, I’ll be back later, Beebee-Ate.”

[Where is Friend Poe going?]

“Just to the library.”

[BB-8 likes the library. BB-8 can come with Friend Poe?]

Poe couldn’t say no. He led the little droid to a small study pod where he could have privacy and called up information on Rebel pilot Lieutenant Shara Bey.

[Who is Lieutenant Bey, Shara?]

“She was my mother,” Poe answered softly, finger hovering over the keypad.

BB-8 rolled closer, butting up against his leg, photoreceptor gazing up at him. It was a show of comfort. It gave Poe strength to finally call up the information on his mother’s service.

[Friend Poe is sad. Why is Friend Poe sad?]

Poe sniffed loudly, wiping away his tears uselessly, told BB-8, “I just-… She never told me any of this. She wa-was a hero, buddy. A real hero… saved so many lives… an-and I never knew-…”

BB-8 did not reply, only remained pressed against his leg, his domed head leaning on him. A long moment passed with only Poe’s soft crying and sniffles to break the silence.

[BB-8 thinks Friend Poe is a hero. Friend Poe saved BB-8.]

The two were inseparable. After a year together, Poe decided to surprise BB-8 with a new paint job, having finally saved enough credits to do it. They chose white with orange trim, an echo of New Republic Starfleet flight suits. BB-8 was thrilled. With a new sense of purpose and strengthened bond, they continued on through the ranks as a pair, proving themselves as they went… though their behavior tended to attract some interest.

Most pilots did not have their astromechs share quarters with them, but Poe had practically demanded it, requiring a charging port to be installed or at least provided for him to install himself. Poe personally ensured BB-8 was up to date on all his programming and mechanical readiness, and in turn, BB-8 was utterly devoted to Poe, following him everywhere. They were often found chatting with each other, deep in conversation about one thing or another. As a joke, Poe even tried to speak binary to his little droid.

[Friend Poe does not speak very good binary. BB-8 thinks Friend Poe should not try binary again.]

One of the stranger things was that Poe liked to sing to BB-8. Poe was like his mother in more ways than one, and she used to sing to him all the time, would just sing and make up the words as she went along but always made it sound beautiful. Poe liked to sing, too. He didn’t for a while after his mother died, but he soon started up again, seeing it as a way to honor her memory. Barring anyone else being available, Poe decided to sing to his little droid. BB-8 was confused at first ([Singing? What is singing?]), but he really seemed to enjoy it, would gently wobble along as he listened.

“Beebee-Ate, what are you doing? What is that noise?”

[It is not noise! BB-8 sings with Friend Poe!]

“Oh, I get it!”

BB-8 wobbled more obviously, [BB-8 sings and dances with Friend Poe!]

Any repairs were done by Poe himself, as neither human nor droid would trust anyone else, with Poe leaving certain programs functional so he could reassure BB-8 everything would be okay. Poe once ran through a firefight to rescue a disabled and frightened BB-8, sustaining several wounds in the process, including a severe one to his left shoulder.

“You’re crazy,” his fellow pilot Jess Pava told him while he recuperated, carefully repairing BB-8 under Poe’s watchful eye, “I mean, Beebee-Ate is a good little astromech, but there are others. You don’t hafta risk your life for him.”

“He’s my friend. I couldn’t leave him.”

“I’m just saying he can be replace- ow!” Jess shouted, “Beebee-Ate! That was rude!”

[Friend Jess was rude first! BB-8 cannot be replaced. Very rude of Friend Jess.]

Nobody called BB-8 replaceable after that, not in the Republic Starfleet and not in the Resistance. Poe found that good droids were seen as far more than machines with the Resistance. Droids were equal partners, capable of doing tasks organic lifeforms could not and respected for it.

[BB-8 likes it here, Friend Poe.]

“And why is that, buddy?”

[All units like BB-8. BB-8 likes all units in return. All units are friends.]

“I’m very glad to hear it, Beebee-Ate. Hey, c’mon, we have a meeting with the General…”

That turned out to be a fateful meeting. Poe and BB-8 were sent to Jakku, a deserted desert planet in the Western Reaches, where he was to meet with Lor San Tekka. Tekka was said to have important information on how to find Luke Skywalker. He barely managed to give it to Poe before the First Order came looking for it, too. With his X-wing unflyable and the stormtroopers surrounding them, Poe took the only action he could think of.

“Take this. It’s safer with you than it is with me,” Poe told the little droid, “ Get as far away from here as you can!”

[No, BB-8 will stay with Friend Poe! BB-8 will fight!]

“Go! I’ll be alright! I’ll come back for you!”

He didn’t want to, but Poe managed to tear himself away from from BB-8 and ran toward the firefight. He needed to give the droid a chance… as much of a chance as his little buddy would get in the wilds of the Jakku desert. The stormtroopers hustled him onto a transport as a squadron massacred the villagers of Tuanul. Poe wanted to remain calm, but he couldn’t hold back a scream, couldn’t stop his tears.

The physical torture aboard the Star Destroyer didn’t bother him so much as the knowledge that he’d failed. He certainly wasn’t much fun to beat up, barely reacting or flinching at all. What Kylo Ren did to him was truly torture, probing around in his mind, dragging up the worst memories of his life for him to relive, clawing around until he found the one thing Poe fought so hard to keep hidden. He shouldn’t have made BB-8 so unique.

Things did move quickly after that. Not everyone can say they’ve stolen a TIE fighter from the First Order with a defecting stormtrooper… and crashed it. Thank the Force, he was somehow thrown clear, and it took some doing, but he managed to talk his way back to the Resistance base on D’Qar. He was just in time for the battle over Takodana, a battle to retrieve his precious friend.

[Friend Poe! Friend Poe! Friend Poe is alive!]

“Beebee-Ate, my buddy!”

He leapt down from his X-wing to kneel beside BB-8, a grin spreading over his face.

[Friend Poe! BB-8 has a new friend! Friend Finn!]

“Finn?”

[Yes, Friend Finn saved BB-8. Friend Finn has completed the mission.]

Poe looked up at a shout of his name, warmth bursting in his chest. Finn ran over and Poe ran to meet him, both embracing as they met, each astounded to find the other alive.

[Friend Finn saved BB-8.]

“Beebee-Ate says you saved him.” 

“No, no, no. It wasn’t just me-“

“You completed my mission, Finn- That’s my jacket…”

His old jacket was a small price to pay for the life of the little droid. Poe had missed BB-8 terribly, missed his chattering, missed flying with BB-8 even though it had been less than a week. They were together again in their distinctive black X-wing with orange markings. Excitement and adrenaline surged in his blood as he waited for the orders. 

“Black Leader, go to sublight. Attack, attack. On your call.”

The X-wings thundered in to attack Starkiller, and after a hard-fought battle the immense base was destroyed before it could annihilate another system. BB-8 chattered calculations at him throughout, guiding him in to blow up the oscillator.

[BB-8 performed well, Friend Poe?]

“Beebee-Ate… you did great, buddy. Everybody did.”

[Friend Poe, BB-8 has received news on Friend Finn. Friend Finn is hurt.]

Poe’s stomach bottomed out.

“Finn’s hurt? How bad?”

[BB-8 does not know. BB-8 heard a call for the medical team to be on standby upon arrival of the ship Millennium Falcon.]

Finn did not look good when Chewbacca carried him off the Millennium Falcon. Poe jogged to the medical team and followed them inside, ignoring the cheering throng. He would celebrate later… maybe.

“Who are you?” a girl asked him in the medical bay.

[Friend Rey!]

“So you’re Rey,” Poe mused, tired, having sat a vigil for Finn for several hours now, “Beebee-Ate is very fond of you. He told me all about you.”

“That must mean you’re Poe Dameron,” she replied, “Beebee-Ate is very fond of you, too. He’s a good little droid, you’ve got there. Very loyal. Very smart.”

[Just like Friend Poe.]

They both laughed. It felt nice to laugh when he knew he wouldn’t later. BB-8 gave him a list of their dead, and it was too long. Poe, exhausted and worried and now grief-stricken, couldn’t hold back his tears. He simply rested his head on his folded arms beside Finn’s unconscious body and wept, his whole body shaking weakly as he did so. Poe cried for Tuanul and Kor Sella and the Hosnian System and Finn and Han Solo and BB-8 and his lost pilots-… He just cried until he couldn’t anymore.

“Feel better, Poe?”

General Organa had taken up the seat beside him, her gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

“Not really, no,” Poe sniffed, “I think I feel worse, actually.”

“That happens sometimes. Believe me, I know the feeling. Y’know, Beebee-Ate here was very worried about you.”

[BB-8 fetched General Organa to help.]

“He was very insistent.”

“Yeah, he’s like that… stubborn like me, I guess…”

General Organa lingered as long as she could before being called away. Poe sighed, scrubbed at his face, sat back in his chair, stifled a yawn.

[Friend Poe requires recharging. Friend Poe should go to his quarters.]

Poe decided to follow the droid’s advice and trailed after him back to his quarters. He barely changed out of his daywear before almost collapsing onto his bunk. He was nearly asleep when he heard BB-8 letting out a series of harmonic beeps and whistles. 

“What’s that, buddy?” he mumbled.

[BB-8 sings for Friend Poe, just like Friend Poe sings for BB-8.]

He smiled at the small droid, told him earnestly, “Thank you, Beebee-Ate. It’s very good,” before falling asleep. The next day, while sitting with Finn, Poe carefully adjusted BB-8’s programming so he could ‘sing’ better, giving him a better range of sounds to vocalize his binary. Perhaps one day, they could sing a duet.

[Friend Poe! Friend Poe! Friend Poe!]

“Hey, calm down, buddy. What is it?”

Poe stepped down from his X-wing to kneel beside the droid. BB-8 wobbled excitedly.

[Friend Poe! Friend Finn wakes up! IM-6 told BB-8 so!]

Poe ran to the hospital wing, BB-8 rolling at full speed to keep up. He almost cried with relief at seeing Finn sitting up, IM-6 dutifully attending to him, and Poe couldn’t stop himself from embracing him.

“Finn, buddy, you’re awake! I just-! This is-… I’m so happy you’re awake.”

“I’m happy to be awake,” Finn smiled, “The doctor told me earlier I’m pretty lucky. When Kylo Ren attacked me, he didn’t get my spine. I would’ve been a goner if he did. Hey… we did it, right? We destroyed Starkiller Base?”

“Yes, thanks to you and Rey… and Chewie… and Han…”

Finn’s expression sobered when Han’s name was spoken.

“Han was Kylo Ren’s father,” he murmured, “and he killed him. He killed his father. It was horrible, but-… but he didn’t seem happy about it. He looked very sad. Even where Rey and I were, I could just tell he was so sad and afraid and unhappy. He said he was being torn apart.”

Poe searched the dark eyes for a moment, decided he didn’t like to see them sad, smiled as best he could, and said, “Hey, buddy… all that matters is that we won the battle. You’re some kind of hero.”

“Me? A hero? No. N-No, I’m not a-a hero-“

[Friend Finn is a hero!]

Finn cocked his head at the little droid, asking, “I-I don’t speak that. What did he say?”

[Friend Finn is a hero to BB-8.]

“He says you’re a hero to him.”

Finn’s cheeks darkened in embarrassment. Poe laughed quietly and embraced him again, strong arms wrapping around him in turn. Something warm and happy fluttered in his stomach.

“Hey, you know what? I’ve been teaching Beebee-Ate to sing. We’ve been practicing. Would you like to hear?” Poe asked, smiling.

[BB-8 and Friend Poe are very good together.]

Finn chuckled, agreed, “Sure. I’d like that.”

“Alright, let’s show him what we’ve got, buddy…”


End file.
